After they finish their finals, the players on the No. 2 UCLA
softball team will have one more big test before spring break.
On Sunday, the Bruins (26-1) will host the U.S. Olympic team
““ the reigning gold medalists ““ in an exhibition
game.
For five Olympians, playing at UCLA will be a flashback to their
college days.
Amanda Freed, Lisa Fernandez, Tairia Flowers (formerly Tairia
Mims), Stacey Nuveman and Natasha Watley all played for the
Bruins.
“This game is a great homecoming for the former
Bruins,” said UCLA coach Sue Enquist, who coached all five
players when they were at UCLA. “This is a great testament to
the program and its history.”
A year ago, Watley and Flowers were the senior leaders when UCLA
won the College World Series.
Now they will be facing some of the players who were their
teammates for three years.
“I played with them for so long, it puts me in a different
situation,” senior pitcher Keira Goerl said. “I loved
playing with them. Now I’m on the other side and playing
against them.”
After being named College World Series MVP last year, Goerl
hoped she would also be a member of the Olympic team.
She tried out for Team USA, but did not make the final
roster.
“I proved to them what I am, I wasn’t what they
wanted, and now I’ve moved on,” Goerl said. “I
don’t need to prove anything to anybody.”
Another current collegiate pitcher, Cat Osterman of Texas, won a
spot on Team USA, and is redshirting this year.
If Goerl was named to the Olympic team, she probably would have
redshirted this season as well, Enquist said.
“I’m just disappointed for her,” Enquist said.
“She did everything she could to make the team.”
Enquist has been impressed with how Goerl has responded and
played in her senior season. She currently boasts an unblemished
15-0 record.
“She had to let go emotionally and move on, and
she’s doing a terrific job,” Enquist said.
“It’s by far the most difficult thing she’s had
to do.”
While Enquist has not named a starting pitcher for this weekend,
Goerl will probably get the nod.
Goerl said she wouldn’t feel any extra motivation to pitch
against the Olympic team after not making the squad.
But her coach said she expects Goerl to pitch with “a lot
of vigor” if she gets the call.
Though Goerl has not decided if she will try out for the Olympic
team again in 2008, some of her current teammates will probably try
out for the team.
Six Bruins played for the silver medal-winning United States
junior world championships team in the fall.
This weekend’s game will give the Bruins a chance to see
how they compare to the best players in the world.
It will also give the team one last chance to see how they are
playing before beginning the Pac-10 season.
“It’s more about getting the Bruins ready than
anything,” sophomore Caitlin Benyi said.
Benyi, Team USA’s leading hitter in the junior world
championships, said she is thinking about the Olympic team a
little, but is focusing more on the present.
UCLA is coming off its only loss of the season, a 3-2 defeat
last weekend against No. 16 Oregon State.
Enquist said she wants to see how her team is hitting and
playing defense.
This game will also be one of the few times the Bruins play in
front of a full crowd.
“It’s going to be an intense atmosphere,”
Benyi said. “That’s exactly what the Pac-10 is like.
This will get the newcomers used to a high intensity
situation.”